Exclusive: Jacksonville man hit by truck after chasing theft suspect

From his hospital bed, a local man tells only Action News Jax he's lucky to be alive after being hit by a truck.

The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said it happened when Devron Channelle, 26, took off after the suspect who had just stolen his cousin's phone Tuesday night.

JSO said his cousin, La’Shall Butler, 21, was trying to sell the phone after finding a buyer on the ‘Offer Up’ app.

“I thought it was going to be simple,” Butler said.

Butler said the buyer, who went by Steven, asked her to meet him at City Ridge Apartments.

She said she had the phone and the accessories on the hood of her car.  She said he stole the phone and took off toward the busy Arlington Expressway.

Butler said the suspect jumped a fence in the middle of the road.  She said her cousin did the same and was right on his heels.  She said he caught up with the suspect at the service road, where they both were hit by a truck.

“I broke my wrist, and then scraped my arm and ripped my ear and fractured my vertebrae,” Channelle said.  “But then I got back up.  My adrenaline was pumping, so I wasn't really thinking about it.”

Channelle is able to walk around, with help, but he remains in the Memorial Hospital trauma department.

He said he was just trying to protect his cousin.

“It just feels so bad to see something like that happen to someone you love,” Butler said.  “And it makes you feel bad because they just did it for you because they loved you.”

JSO said the driver of the truck stayed on the scene, but the suspect -- who they say suffered lacerations to his face -- took off.

He's described as a white man named Steven, who's about 18-20 years old, and was wearing a red shirt and dark-colored shorts.

Despite his injuries, Channelle was able to recover the phone.

“Would you do it again?” Action News Jax reporter Russell Colburn asked.

“Oh yeah, of course,” Channelle said.  “That's my little cousin.”

As for Butler, she said she won't be using Offer Up or any app like it ever again and has set up a GoFundMe for her cousin's medical bills.

Cox Media Group